Need advice about a good Iron supplement to take for someone with UC

Hello all,
My GI Dr mentioned that I am anemic & should take Iron. I am afraid this will give me stomach & bowel issues. I'm not dangerously anemic, but what should I do ? She of course didn't recommend any particular dose or brand. Any suggestions UCers ???? I try to incorporate spinach in smoothies & eat healthy when not flaring. Please let me know brands :o)

I'd suggest eating more animal protein such as homemade chicken liver pate. Vegetables also have iron (spinach for example) but plant iron is less bio-available. However I eat a lot of cooked spinach because my gut loves it.

I would try iron rich foods before a supplement. Iron supplements do cause a lot of problems for many with IBD. If you are more than a little out of range ask your GI about an iron infusion.

I would recommend black strap molasses (low sulfur). Its an all natural food and is very easily digestible for our bodies. 1 tbs (maybe 2 I cant remember) provides 25% of your dv of iron and 20% of your calcium. Before I was dx'd I lost alot of blood during the whole month I procrastinated in getting my colon checked out and it was the only thing that avoided me getting dangerously low on my iron and probably passing out or death (I was stupid in my rebellion against hospitals) ill warn you though it has a very strong taste, I highly recommend mixing it with something, my favorite is a healthy peanut butter and frozen banana smoothie with some vanilla and water (Milk doesnt agree with me) Peanut butter in general does well in masking the flavor.

The problem with iron is not always what type of iron you take via food or supplement but what you are combining it with.

Take for example spinach- high in iron. Well, spinach contains oxalic acid which interferes with iron absorption. And the list goes on and on for foods that interfere with iron absorption- foods high in calcium, whole grains with phytates, caffeine (guilty!), some teas...etc etc. It really can get complicated.

I have struggled with anemia for years. I found that beet power really helped me. Beets don't raise iron levels as fast as say liver would but they contain the perfect iron/vitamin C ratio so your body absorbs it very easily. Personally, I don't handle heme iron (meats) as well as I do nonheme (vegetables) iron but everyone is different. Then there is the ongoing debate on whether or not red meat causes inflammation. You fix one problem....and make the other worse.

If you are only borderline anemic, I would personally try to get your iron from food first. Iron supplements always hurt my gutt. The one that I have found has caused the least amount of damage is Floradix. Just be aware that there is a gluten free version and a gluten version.

Either way, anemia can be very debilitating so definitely don't ignore the problem. I ended up with a blood transfusion and months of iron infusions because I ignored it for too long. It took a looooooong time to fix the problem.

I actually have an appt with my hematologist tomorrow so I was going to ask this very question. I will post back what he says.

I took "Vitron-C Plus Vitamin C 65mg" from Walgreens. Affordable and exactly what I needed.

So I just asked my hematologist this question (I am borderline anemic now) and he said he would prefer that I get my iron from food vs. taking supplements. So I asked but what if I get anemic again. And he said that he can give me one iron infusion again and rapidly fix the problem vs. very little iron from iron supplements is actually absorbed.

bottom line, I wouldn't risk a flare with iron supplements. I took iron pills at the suggestion of my nurse practitioner once and it caused a massive flare.

And definitely look into getting a hematologists. Most take a while to book but the iron infusions will make you feel much better.

Does anyone know if cooking in cast iron is an effective way to increase iron levels? I've heard it mentioned, but never really knew if that was a legitimate suggestion or not.